As set forth in U.S. patents such as the Wrights' gold separator disclosed in their U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,551, and Mr. Powers' and Mr. Piton's portable sluice pan disclosed in their U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,690, prior sluices have been designed to be portable for packing in to the back country, and easily used and manipulated during the separation of heavy metals from placer deposits. In these patents and also as shown in: U.S. Pat. No. 644,994 concerning Mr. Milan's sluice box; U.S. Pat. No. 679,100 disclosing Mr. Allen's ore washer; U.S. Pat. No. 1,596,448 illustrating and describing Mr. Parker's extracting apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,032,281 disclosing Mr. Hawley's concentrator, previously placer deposits have been loaded onto sluices through which water is flowing, via turbulent motions, over ridges and/or grooves, often referred to as riffles. Portions of these placer deposits are carried downstream and the heavier metals separate out of the flow and become lodged in the grooves, many of which are arranged transversely to the flow of water in sluice. In Mr. Hawley's concentrator the heavier metals after being initially lodged in the grooves, are thereafter guided into a groove or gutter as the concentration process is being continued.
Even though a review of these patents indicates the ongoing many improvements in sluice equipment, there remained a need for improved sluicing equipment, which could be conveniently packed in to back country and be extremely effective in separating out heavy metals such as gold. Moreover, the improved equipment should be made out of durable, available, strong, rustproof, and lightweight materials, which should be available at reasonable cost and easily formed and secured. The portable sluice equipment made of plastic materials, hereinafter described and illustrated, fulfills this need for improved sluicing equipment.